Boston, MA -- A national research watchdog organization, Stop
Animal Exploitation NOW! (SAEN), has filed an official complaint with the
United States Department of Agriculture/Animal & Plant Health Inspection
Service (USDA/APHIS) alleging that officials at the Harvard Medical School
and Yale University have filed misleading reports with USDA/APHIS.

"These labs are either incompetent or downright dishonest," said
Michael A. Budkie, A.H.T., Executive Director of SAEN. "At some time
during 1998 officials at the Harvard Medical School/New England Regional
Primate Research Center seem to have lost track of over 1200 primates."
According to documents filed with USDA/APHIS Harvard utilized 336 primates
in 1998. However, documents obtained by SAEN from the National Institutes
of Health (NIH) indicated that Harvard/NERPRC officials reported use of
1561 primates to the NIH. "Harvard/NERPRC officials seem to be paying fast
and loose with the truth," added Budkie.

"The Yale report for 1998 is almost incomprehensible," said Budkie. One
part of the Yale report discusses experimenting on 32 primates during 1998
and keeping another 71 on hand. However, the same report discusses
depriving 22 primates of water, and depriving another 65 of food. "Either
22 primates were deprived of food and water (meaning Yale experimented on
65 primates), or Yale officials experimented on 87 primates. Either way
these numbers exceed 32." USDA/APHIS inspection reports for 7/14 & 15/98
list a primate inventory of 198 at Yale.

"These two cases graphically illustrate deficiencies within the APHIS
reporting system," said Budkie. "Animal experimentation information made
available by the USDA/APHIS to both Congress and the American Public is
seriously flawed."

These discrepancies have been revealed to the USDA/APHIS via an
official complaint letter faxed to the USDA Eastern Regional Office
yesterday. The complaint and accompanying documentation are available via
fax.